The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has announced that Davon Anthony Beckford, a 30-year-old from Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Robert D. Mariani on January 24, 2025. Beckford will also face five years of supervised release following his imprisonment for distributing fentanyl resulting in death.
Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus reported that Beckford moved from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to Phoenix, Arizona around January 2020. In Arizona, he established a connection with a supplier of fentanyl pills and formed a drug trafficking network with former associates in Luzerne County. He distributed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills through the U.S. Postal Service to these associates. In February 2021, a 27-year-old woman died after ingesting one of these pills sold by an associate in Wilkes-Barre.
Beckford was indicted by a grand jury in Scranton on February 15, 2022. He pleaded guilty to the charges related to the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death during his federal court appearance on March 1, 2023.
The investigation into Beckford's activities was conducted jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Scranton and the Wilkes-Barre Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski prosecuted the case.
This case is part of a broader initiative aimed at combating heroin and fentanyl distribution across the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The Heroin Initiative is led by the United States Attorney’s Office and involves collaboration among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to address heroin-related offenses.
Additionally, this case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence through cooperation between law enforcement agencies and communities. The program focuses on fostering trust within communities, supporting organizations that prevent violence, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.